That damnable smile, he had been up to something and I should of saw it coming. Now I was nestled with the rooms pillows and mattresses composed into a makeshift bunker while I groaned and withered in agony from the alcohol from the night before. to think that I had been giggly while drunk wouldn't of been apparent at all considering my now considerable bad mood. I muttered, "Somebody turn off the lights..."

Only to get my mentors resoundingly loud and dry reply of, "They're already off Aria."

I groaned again as I held two pillows against either side of my head, "you don't need to shout..."

Grey whistled much to my dismay, "I'm not, didn't figure you for such a light weight, you only had, what? Two glasses? two and a half?"

I was just an orange shell and a pair of disgruntled buzzing wings that was visible in the fort of fluff. Peeking my head out of the fort I glared at him through my headache, Grey was smirking evily, and he commented, "Come on, I have something to help you dull that pain. Up and out of there Web."

"Yeah? And what's that?" I mumbled at him as his grin slowly faded to its neutral glance.

He pulled out a potion, and tossed it to me, I caught it with a hoof and he gestured, "Take a drink of that, it'll ease the headache in a bit."

I drank it, a bitter tinge coating my tongue and he rolled his eyes, "Before you ask its my personal cureall for a hangover, consists of several wheat based drinks, a bit of pain medicine, and a bit of coffee. Found some while raiding in search for you. Judging from the time Cait will be here in a bit, and you're probably want to be your peppy self by the time he arrives."

I mumbled my thanks, as he turned away to leave the room, slowly he stopped, midway through the doorway to look to me, "You're welcome, Aria. But would you mind if we had one last question just between us? I doubt we will have much privacy soon to discuss amongst just the two of us soon."

"Go ahead." I said quietly, taking another drink from the potion, already I could feel some of the storm in my head quieten from the concoction he had given me.

"What does it mean to be a Changeling to you?" he asked, slowly turning his head away, "What does being a Soldier mean to you?"

"Pardon?" I asked, being a soldier was just an expected part of my daily routine. He had trained me after all, however so shortly.

He slowly turned the other way around to face me again, "I am asking what do you, yourself, think about who you are?" Grey tilted his head, to watch the street outside the windows of the room, "Would you have taken peoples lives if you were just ordered to?"

Questioningly, I perked my head up from my mound of cushions to catch his gaze as he questioned, more to himself than me, "Are you that unquestioning about the motivations of others?"

Slowly, I answered, "That would be no different than being a puppet, Grey."

"Then what is your answer?" he prodded me along, casting his full gaze upon me, his mouth narrowed into a thin line.

I paused to think. I kept thinking, slowly I worded out my answer to him, not entirely sure how to convey it correctly but I kept going regardless, "To be a Changeling is to acknowledge that we have to thrive in adversity..." I paused, regathering my thoughts before continuing, "To be a Changeling one must be able to handle a world filled with dirt and be willing to climb through that muck in order to survive and prosper. Due to this nature to be a Changeling is to be hunted, and hated for what we are, and to live based on the dishonest notions of deceptions for our own safety and sanity..."

"And what about being a soldier? Do you still think of yourself as one?" he asked, and I shook my head.

"Nay, I do not think of myself as a soldier... To call myself that would legitimize the scientists of my stable as a lawful government which both of us know are inhumane and evil."

slowly, the corners of Greys mouth softened, and a less harsh light retook his eyes, as he spoke quietly, "Sometimes its hard not to see her in you." He trotted over to my big powerful fluff fort and ruffled my mane, "Good response, then what do you think of yourself then, Aria?"

I looked towards the ground, "To that, I'm not entirely sure. I'd like to think of myself as a doctor, but I have neither the complete training, or the magic to be able to be qualified for that title, and I share different ideals than to treat everyone with only the intention to heal and maintain the health of others... But at the same time, I'm not a warrior, only destined to battle and kill all threats I come across in self righteous idiocy..."

Grey slowly pulled me to my hooves as he replied in turn, "Don't worry overly much about it, Aria. You will find your answer to that sooner or later in life. Where you are now is a good start, continue to self examine your own psyche on a daily basis and that answer may just be closer than it seems."

I walked out with Grey as my headache continued to dull and we ate breakfast. It was mostly stale bread and preserved cans of food cooked over a small barrel fire, but it was great and the food helped dull the headache to the point where it was just a minor annoying buzz in the back of my skull. There was a brief noise as the front door became unlocked and opened, revealing first a rush of grey fur as Scrapyard returning inside, and then a monolith of Steel. He was easily taller than I was in that giant suit of armor, though knowing Scrapyard, this intimidating hulk of steel who eerily reminded me of Maul only wider and thicker and without tentacles, instead he had a repeating grenade launcher built into one of his metal sides, on the other a Gatling laser not unlike the one I used back in the Grin. Only this one had been painted to resemble spewing fire from a sharks mouth rather than undecorated gray.

Of course, he had the modification to his helmet that allowed a large serrated part of his armor to come into existence, a short blade of refined steel edging a casing where his horn would be hidden. It was amazing to be sure. Though he merely tossed aside his helmet (it getting stuck in a wall by the blade end) and rushed towards me, Grabbing me in his now massive girth.

"ARIA!" He shouted With joy, squezing the dear life out of me as I squeaked like a rubber ducky, "I'm so happy to see you! Where-did you go man? Were you alright? Did Grey find you alright?"

I managed to whisper as I felt my ribs crack... again, "Can't... Breathe..."

sheepishly he immediately let me go and I gagged for breath, now in a fetal position on the floor as he chuckled, "Opps... Uh, sorry..."

Grey filled him in as I recovered from my back being nearly broken with a well needed health potion. Noticeably I discovered he left out a lot of details though, like Roggar and my magic being out of whack. Perhaps he was saving it for a later date? I didn't know but I did not like it.

After a while I began to also add into the conversation, even giving Cait the broken gatling laser that I had, though it was considerably less than I thought it was going to be to him since he was, well decked out already. When I asked Cait what had happened after I had gone he smirked, and looked to Grey smugly, "Well after you left, and we had a heart attack in the morning the three of us," Scrapyard barked, "Went searching for you. Though it seems Grey went into a rage because some rumors we picked up said that you might of either gotten into a slaver den or been taken prisoner by some raiders. I cleared out some of the rumors, but that was after Grey went around in a murderous rampage and single hoofedly murdered just about every slaver and raider this side of Vanhoover. Including not to say the least taking on a slaver stronghold with a tank."

"Wait what?" I asked, completely lost at the last bit.

"Sadly I broke the tank before they all died..." Grey muttered, "I thought we agreed to never mention it again."

Cait rolled his eyes, "Oh come on how can I not? You freaking pulled a tank out of jewels clutches and single handedly managed to break it after slaughtering near a hundred slavers, a good twenty of which had jury rigged power armor, and kill their leader with a grenade literally shoved down his throat. Those two sisters are all but broadcasting it on the news that criminal scum disappeared 'virtually over night' over your three day straight murder spree in search of her. I think dozens of ex-slave mares are now swooning over your actions as well as the half dozen odd stallions who want you to, and I quote, 'take them now'."

"What." I simply said.

"Long story," Cait said, "Basically if you see a whole buncha murdered raiders and slavers on the road to our outpost north, Grey did it all in search of ya."

"Yeah?" Grey remarked, "What about how you went and charged a pair of brutes and a hell hound that were having an argument over that other Changeling?"

He shrugged it off with an easy shrug and smile, "Hey She looked like Aria at the time, and I couldn't very well let them have their way with her."

"She had BLUE hair, and as I recalled you power hoofed them to death cause both your damn guns jammed."

"Honestly would you let anyone be suffered to that fate?" Cait remarked back and Grey was silenced to a grumbling.

"Grey drove a tank, an extinct vechicle since the war, to try and rescue me?" I asked again.

The two changed their glances from each other to me, and Scrapyard barked a happy affirmative, Grey smirked, "And wiped out slavers and raiders around Vanhoover."

"you wiped out the feral ghouls..." Grey grumbled again.

"Wow... Just wow..." I commented, a bit overwhelmed.

"Though it seems our worries were for naught it seems, though hey Grey should we tell her about Stark's dragon problem and what you did to said problem?"

"We agreed to never mention that again." Grey snorted, and rolled his eyes, "Just like I agreed not to mention that little escapdee you had with the-"

A power hoof stopped Grey from continuing his line of speech, "Geeze fine, way to be a kill joy, add that onto your stuipd kill lists."

"Already did that a long time ago," Grey sarcastically added after leaning back out of the hoofs range.

What did I even do to deserve such companions? I wondered to myself as we talked and maintained interest throughout the day. Gradually though I managed to head out as we all went shopping, I sticking with Grey as we picked up some final things we needed while Cait and Scrapyard got some final things from Jewel with the excess core of the Gatling laser I had picked up.

When we met up to leave, Grey and I were both wearing our scarves ontop of our armor, and Cait had acquired a new toy that was now mounted a layer over his launcher, and scrapyard was in metal armor that had been retailored to his stature. With an eyebrow rose he caught my glance and commented, "Yep managed to get the Balefire Launcher out of Jewel, oh and Grey she says if you ever break another piece of technology again she will hunt you down and slap the, and once more I quote, 'Celestias flaming bum out of you'."

"Noted." Grey remarked, "So don't break your armor to reduce your ego, got it."

Cait snorted, "You of all ponies should know that I don't need my armor to kick your ass."

Grey replied quizzically, "Twenty years too soon for you to try that, my prime was much more impressive than yours."

The two continued to taunt each other as we trotted on, towards the north, where colder and wilder bounds were located. the easy companionship between the three of us resuming as we traveled onwards. Granting the Hole a final goodbye, for our travels wouldn't take us to it again, at least not for a long while. Personally I hoped for the best.

Xp Footnote: 85% left until level up.

Companions Gained: The Sentinel Ecait Gear, and The Wolf of the Waste, Scrapyard.

Companion Perk: The Stallion of Steel: While Cait is in your party all aggression drawn towards you and Scrapyard are instead drawn to Cait as long as he is between you and the enemy. This perk doesn't come into affect if you are wearing heavy armor, however you gain an additional 20% to success rates as well when attempting to intimidate non-ranger targets as well.

Companion Perk:The Legend of the Wolves: Scrapyard is more than what he seems, there is a look in his eyes now that speak of the seriousness of the situations hes recently been a part of. As a result, he has gained 30% increased movement speed while in combat and his sneak attacks now deal 6x damage instead of 2x as he is much more cunning and tactical minded while in combat. Wonder what happened to him. Do any of us speak wolf?

Next Chapter: Chapter 34: The Roach Riddler Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 46 Minutes